God Created the World Introductory Activity

MISSIONS EMPHASIS

LIFE POINT God made the world. GOD CREATED THE WORLD INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY

LEADER BIBLE STUDY

LEVEL OF BIBLICAL From deep-sea diving to mountain climbing and from bird-watching to LEARNING stargazing,LIVE there is ITno endOUT to discovering and experiencing the world in God created the world in which we live. Oceans are vastly different from mountaintops and so are the six days and rested on the animals that inhabit them. There are thousands of bird species, but there are seventh. billions upon billions of stars! SCRIPTURE Genesis 1–2 tells how everything happened. The very first verse of the REFERENCE Bible declaresPRACTICE that God created BIBLE heaven SKILLS and earth—the entire universe. The Genesis 1:1-19 verses that follow go into more detail about the Creator’s amazing act of making something out of absolutely nothing. WEEKLY VERSE The original Hebrew words for formless and empty are tohu and bohu In the beginning, God (tohubohu or tohu wa-bohu) and have a similar sound when read aloud. The made the world. Genesis 1:1 wordplay helpsSTUDY us understand THE BIBLEthe nothingness from which God brought the UNIT VERSE universe. Translated, together the words indicate that the earth had no form I am wonderfully made. or shape and that there was nothing on it. Psalm 139:14 God’s spoken words created light on the first day and the sky on the second. On the third day God spoke, and the water receded and formed SUGGESTED FOR THE seas with the resulting land bringing forth vegetation. God set the sun, WEEK OF moon, and stars in place on day four. August 2 For the ancient Hebrews, there was no wondering about God’s creative process. They accepted God and His acts, all of them, at “faith value.” Their unwavering belief in God gave no room for speculation. How easily are you able to believe in God’s omnipotence to create ex nihilo, out of nothing? How can you help the preschoolers in your group understand that God is the only One who could do what He did? It is vitally important to prepare children now for a later time when they will need to refute nonbiblical accounts of creation.

TRANSITION/GROUP TIME

BIBLE-LEARNING ACTIVITIES

GROUP TIME GOD CREATED THE WORLD ʹʹMove to music. Play “Everything in the Universe.” Invite preschoolers to moveSUGGESTED to the music. TIME SCHEDULE Decide when to ʹʹSay the Weekly Verse. Gather children to sit in a circle. Play “Peace and have group time; Quiet” and pass the Bible around the circle. Randomly pause the music. then select learning The child holding the Bible should locate a puzzle piece and place activities to use before it in the center of the circle. Continue until all pieces are found. Help and/or after preschoolers to put together the puzzle. Point to each word as you say group time. the verse aloud. Lead preschoolers to repeat the verse after you in short phrases. Open the Bible and show the verse to preschoolers. ʹʹTell the Bible story. Display the Creation Poster. Explain that for the next several weeks boys and girls will be learning about the things God made. Open your Bible to Genesis 1. Tell the Bible story in your own words. Attach each of the days 1–4 pictures onto the poster.

GOD CREATED THE WORLD —Based on Genesis 1:1-19 In the beginning, God created the world. Water covered the earth, and there was no light. God said, “Let there be light!” Suddenly the light began to shine. Now there was both light and darkness. God called the light day and › Pack Items 14, 36, darkness night. This was the first day. › 37: “Weekly Verses,” On the second day, God created a huge space above the earth. He “Creation Poster,” “Days called the huge space sky. of Creation (Days 1–4)” On day three, God made dry land. He gathered water into oceans, ››Printables: “Genesis 1:1 rivers, and lakes. God made plants and trees to grow on the earth. He Puzzle” created the plants and trees so that each kind of plant would have its ››Teaching Picture 9 own seed. Some of the trees grew fruit. › Music Then God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from › night.” He made the sun to shine during the day and the moon and ››Videos stars to shine at night. This was the fourth day. ››Bible, flashlight, painters God saw that all He had created was good. tape ››Cut out the Days of ʹʹReview the Bible story. Display the Teaching Picture. Lead children to Creation. Place a piece recall the first thing God created when He made the world (light). Turn of rolled tape onto the back side of days 1–4. on the flashlight. Invite children to take turns shining the flashlight on the Print and cut apart the poster as they recall what God created on the first four days. Genesis 1:1 Puzzle. Place ʹʹPray together. Lead the preschoolers to pray in a litany. Thank God for each piece of the puzzle something He made and lead preschoolers to say “God made the world” between different pages after your statement. Example: “Thank You, God, for day and night. God of the Bible. made the world. Thank You, God, for trees. God made the world. Thank You, God, for the moon. God made the world.” ʹʹWrap it up. Show the “God Created the World” video. Play “The Beginning.” Lead children to sing along.

TRANSITION/GROUP TIME

BIBLE-LEARNING ACTIVITIES

››Pack Items 36, 37: MAKE A CREATION MOBILE “Creation Poster,” “Days Cut yarnGROUP into various TIMElengths for each mobile. of Creation (Days 1–4)” ʹʹGuide children to complete the Activity Page using the Creation Poster › Kids Activity Page › as a guide. ››Bible, paper squares, star ʹʹInvite boys and girls to make mobiles. They can stick stickers to the stickers, flower stickers, squaresSUGGESTED of paper or draw pictures TIME of SCHEDULE flowers, trees, the sun, and the fruit stickers, small branches (one per child) moon on paper squares. or 18-inch dowels, yarn ʹʹAllow each child to make as many squares as she chooses. or string, tape, child-size ʹʹHelp a child tape each of her squares to the end of a piece of yarn. scissors, crayons ʹʹAssist preschoolers in tying the pieces of yarn to their sticks to create Note: Post an “Allergy their creation mobiles. Alert” (Printables) if ʹʹOpen your Bible. Read Genesis 1:1. using branches. ʹʹComment that God made the world. Talk about the Bible story as preschoolers work. (Art)

››Pack Items 38, 39: PLAY A GAME “Creation Race,” “Game Prepare the cube. Cube” ʹʹInvite a few preschoolers to play the Creation Race board game. Explain ››Bible, 4 game pieces or that everyone will start on the 1 space. Children will take turns rolling the small toys, puzzles about cube and moving the number of spaces shown forward or backward. creation and nature The object of the game is to reach the Day 7 circle in the center. ʹʹAs preschoolers play the game or work puzzles, remind them of the things God created on each of the first four days of creation. ʹʹUse the puzzles and game to talk about the Bible story. Say that all God made was good. ʹʹHelp a child open the Bible to Genesis 1 and find the Bible story. ʹʹSay that God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. ʹʹPray. Thank God for making a beautiful world. (Puzzles)

››Teaching Picture 9 EXPLORE TREE ITEMS Arrange items on a table or trays on the floor. List nature items you have on ››Printables: “Allergy the Allergy Alert and post it near the door for parents to see. Alert” ʹʹInvite the children to explore the various items. They can use the ››Leaves, pine cones, apples, oranges, acorns, magnifying glasses to examine the items closely. They can draw or write twigs or sticks, other their observations on paper. items that grow on trees, ʹʹAsk the children to think about what the items have in common. Listen magnifying glasses, as they express their ideas. Tell the preschoolers that all these items can pencils, paper be found on different trees. ʹʹTalk about the Bible story. Look at the Teaching Picture. Remark that God made the world just by speaking. ʹʹSay today’s Bible verse. Lead the children to repeat it after you. ʹʹEncourage preschoolers to name other plants God made. (Nature)

ARRANGE FLOWERS ››Pack Item 14: “Weekly Post the Allergy Alert if using real flowers. Mark the verse in the Bible. Verses” ʹʹInvite preschoolers to place floral marbles and arrange flowers in the ››Printables: “Allergy Alert” various vases and cups. (Supervise closely the use of the marbles.) ʹʹEncourage children to recall things God created (plants, trees, flowers, ››Bible, real or artificial flowers and greenery, vegetables, fruit). plastic vases or cups, ʹʹOpen the Bible to the Weekly Verse. Read the verse aloud. Lead floral marbles children to say the verse along with you. (Dramatic Play)

BUILD WITH NATURE ITEMS ››Printables: “Allergy Post the Allergy Alert. Alert” ʹʹEncourage preschoolers to build and to incorporate the nature items into ››Bible, blocks, leaves, sticks, stones their structures. ʹʹOpen the Bible to Genesis 1. Recall things God created on the first four days of creation. ʹʹPray. Thank God for allowing us to live in such a beautiful world. ʹʹChallenge preschoolers to arrange blocks to make designs of objects from creation (sun, tree, flower). (Blocks)

PLAY SAND SHAKERS ››Printables: “Unit 3 Post the Allergy Alert. Missions,” “Allergy Alert” ʹʹUsing the funnels, assist the children in pouring 2 inches of sand into the › Music plastic bottles. Seal the lids with tape. › ʹʹPlay “The Beginning.” Lead the preschoolers to shake their shakers as ››Bible, plastic water bottles, sand, funnels, they listen to or sing the song. tape ʹʹRemark that God made the sand. Talk about other things that God made in the world. ʹʹDisplay the missions pictures. Tell the boys and girls that Sally helps children in Mozambique learn about God and Jesus. Sally tells Bible stories like the story about God’s creation. ʹʹOpen the Bible to Genesis 1 and point to the Bible story. (Music)

› Printables: “God Created EXPLORE CREATION BOOKS › the World” Coloring Page ʹʹInvite preschoolers to color the coloring page. Remark that God created › Picture books about the world in six days and rested on the seventh. › creation and nature, ʹʹEncourage boys and girls to explore the books and talk about God’s children’s nature creation. magazines, crayons ʹʹPray, thanking God for making the world.

CLEAN UP ››Music ʹʹPlay “Peace and Quiet” as you lead children to clean the room. Challenge preschoolers to clean up everything before the song ends.